Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'design'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • DCP Community
    • DCP Community "New Member" Forum
    • DCP Volunteer Exchange - Where Corps Needs and Volunteers Come Together
  • Drum Corps International (DCI) Corps Discussions
    • DCI World Class Corps Discussions
    • DCI Roundtable Project
    • DCI Open Class Corps Discussions
    • Historical Junior Corps Discussions
    • DCI (All) Corps Show & Event Reviews
  • Drum Corps Associates (DCA) All-Age Corps and Alumni Corps Discussions
    • DCA - All-Age Corps Discussions
    • Alumni Corps Discussions
    • DCA All-Age Corps and Alumni Corps Historical Forum
    • DCA All-Age Corps and Alumni Corps Show & Event Reviews
  • DCP Features
    • Brass Forum
    • Color Guard Planet
    • Percussion Planet
    • International Corps Forum
    • DCP Marketplace
    • DCP SponsorBoard
    • DCP Fantasy Drum Corps League
  • DCP Site Discussions
    • DCP Forum Announcements
    • DCP Member Service Center

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End


Group


AIM


MSN


Website URL


ICQ


Yahoo


Jabber


Skype


Your Drum Corps Experience


Your Favorite Corps


Your Favorite All Time Corps Performance (Any)


Your Favorite Drum Corps Season


Location


Interests

  1. Over the 15 years of my DCI fandom, there has been a strong move toward explicit theme and direct storytelling. In 2014, Crown did a show about outer space. It's pretty much the consensus view that it wasn't the greatest design, but hear me out. In the beginning of the season, there was the Major Tom introduction, an overly-long but timbrally-intriguing percussion feature, the echo effects etc. One of the (many) great things about Space Oddity by Bowie (RIP) is that it trails off at the end. The listener is left to wonder what happened to the astronaut. Did some small valve on his spaceship fail and cause him to asphyxiate? Did he go into a wormhole? Did mysterious radiation transform him into an interdemensional squid-creature? But in Crown's final narrative with added narration, Major Tom goes into space, some things happen, then he comes home. There's not a lot of space for the audience to contribute to the narrative with their own creativity. One of the reasons that I (and many others) prefer the movie 2001 (an inspiration for the Bowie song) to Arthur C. Clarke's novelization is that it shows, rather than tells. Everything is spelled out in the book, whereas the viewer has to interpret the images, etc. in the film. Drum corps, I argue, is the same way. Would Cadets 2005 been better with giant waterfall props in Liquid? Subtly and discretion can be good things, but I feel like judging is pushing everything to be SO literal and forcing everyone to tell a LITERAL story with a beginning, middle, and end. Drum corps is a ~13 minute audio-visual medium. Hard to tell a simple story in a coherent and compelling way in that time, let alone something deeper, even with narration etc. Even Crown 2013, which some see as the greatest show designer ever, basically comes down to "love is nice." TL;DR: Stop trying so hard to be "deep" and tell some profound story in your show, use music and visuals to create a mood and err on the side of subtly
  2. Everyone knows the Blue Devils are often the class of the field in design, and their uniforms are no exception. What are your favorite looks since moving on from the traditional jackets in 1994? 1994-2014: An absolute classic which broke from tradition and perfectly exemplifies the dominant "Star Trek: The Next Generation" style of 90s/2000s uniforms. Worn for 4 championship seasons. 2004-2005: An underappreciated look, IMO. Classy jacket but not too different from the old ones. 2006-2008: Introduction of asymmetrical white stripes. 2009: The beginning of increasingly flamboyant designs with the now-standard half-skirt-cape in a strikingly contrasting color. Also, big white plumes. 2010-2011: A lot of stripes. 2012: Colorful undershirts for this innovative and strange show. Jackets applied later were similar to 2010-2011. 2013: Added feathers are classy but slightly whimsical. Less busy jackets. Split-color uniforms and the new shiny-square shakos. 2015: A lot of color for "INK" 2016: Also different shades, can't see the half-skirt-cape's blue to black fade. Blue feather. Interesting cascading layers.
  3. I got this in my inbox today due to my use of their services. No doubt this is an attempt to do some major PR control. I'm not sure what specifically made them want to send this out though. Maybe issues related to DCI, WGI, and MFA? "Dear #### I would like to take this opportunity to re-introduce Tresóna: who we are, what we do, and why we do it. Tresóna was started, and is currently staffed, by musicians, educators and music fans. We have created a simple and cost-effective licensing platform and are committed to protecting the rights of songwriters to make sure that they are rightfully compensated for their work. Thousands of hard-working songwriters and publishers are dependent on the royalties collected from the licensing of their music to survive. A vast majority of these publishers are small family businesses with one or two employees; they are not multi-national corporations. They are no different than the arrangers, choreographers, set designers, costume creators and thousands of others whose livelihood is dependent on a vibrant music industry. Music is the key ingredient and the foundation of all performance ensembles. Without songs, there would be no marching bands, show choirs, a cappella groups or any other musical performance group. The licensing of custom arrangements, which is required by the U.S. Copyright Act, is often one of the smallest line items in the budget of many ensemble programs. Most performance ensembles obtain the necessary licenses; however, there are some ensembles and organizations which refuse to do so. The abuse of the system by these groups for illicit financial gain has been shocking. There are large enterprises with ensembles that travel all over the country performing at both nonprofit and for-profit events. They pay enormous sums of money for choreographers, arrangers, contest entry, lighting, costumes, props and a host of other outside services. Despite having budgets of more than $500,000/year and generating surpluses of over $150,000/year, these organizations refuse to get the licenses they need and compensate songwriters for their songs. Rather than pay the relatively small licensing fee and promote proper licensing behavior, some ensembles have opted instead to retain high-priced lawyers and consultants to avoid obtaining the necessary licenses. When the dedication of this small group of ensembles deprives songwriters of their ability to make a living, Tresóna and the rights holders we represent are forced to defend these rights in court. When this happens, it is disappointing and begs the question: How can the community as a whole promote participation in the arts and suggest to students that a career in music is viable if it doesnt support the foundation of the entire music ecosystem - the songs and the songwriters? Tresóna is proud of the work we do and deeply value the excellent working relationships we have developed with thousands of arrangers, directors, music educators, parents and performers around the country. We are committed to partnering with, and listening to, the ensemble community so that we may grow these relationships, as well as nurture new ones. We thank you for your support and look forward to our continued relationship in the years to come. Best, Larry Mills EVP, Tresóna" ..... End of letter I absolutely understand the need for composers/arrangers/creators to be compensated. I also understand that there are groups (both scholastic and independent) that have extremely bloated design budgets. But in my opinion, this copyright situation is getting a bit out of hand, at least in regards to video performances. We are losing an opportunity to share with our younger generations the great performances organizations like DCI, WGI, and MFA have to offer. Our kids (and educators) are missing the ability to see their peers across the country achieve things that they didn't know were possible. I can't even purchase older BOA and WGI DVDs for our library anymore. What are your thoughts about what Tresona is saying?
  4. There's a art to percussion writing, and sometimes a good percussion book can make or break a show. As someone who's looking to get involved in more percussion arranging, what are some hallmark shows to look to to learn? What shows have come to define how a book is written? What makes it great? Why does it stand out from the rest? Any random tips, facts, or tidbits of information? Discuss.
  5. In the past few days, the Hurricanes have announced their 2016 Program & Design Team! See the information below, and click here for a clip from the local news station plugging our Open House, coming up on November 28 and 29! 2016 Connecticut Hurricanes Program Announcement The concept of Freedom is multifaceted. It is a concept that represents the opportunity to embrace a system of beliefs, to choose methods of expression, and the ability to pursue one’s dreams. It is the concept of Freedom that stands as a cornerstone of democracies around the world. The 2016 Hurricanes are celebrating this idea of Freedom and the opportunities it allows those who have it. Using the liberating and inspiring strains of “Amazing Grace” woven through the program, combined with other musical selections, the Hurricanes will explore varying aspects of Freedom. The repertoire will consist of: •. Amazing Grace •. Freedom by Michael W. Smith •. Now We Are Free (Nelle tue mani) by Andrea Bocelli, from Gladiator (Hanz Zimmer/Lisa Gerrard) •. Freedom Triology by Paul Halley & Theresa Thomason The Hurricanes hope you will celebrate with us the possibilities, realities, and blessings that Freedom can afford. Freedom is a liberating experience that we should never take for granted. 2016 Connecticut Hurricanes Design Team Announcement The Hurricanes are excited to announce their 2016 Design Team! Returning from the 2015 Design Team is Visual Designer Rick Morey and Brass Arranger Matt Krempasky. New to the Hurricanes Design Team in 2016 will be JJ Pipitone as the Percussion Arranger Lennie Machado as the Color Guard Designer. Bob Kogut and Bill Solari are also contributing to the creative process in addition to their roles on the instructional staff. The team is working diligently to put together our 2016 program, Freedom, which will explore the ability to express yourself freely, choose freely, and pursue one’s dreams. The show promises to be a step forward for the Hurricanes and one that will resonate with drum corps fans. Our 2016 Open House is coming up on November 28 from 9AM-3PM and November 29 from 9AM-4PM at Amity Regional High School (25 Newton Road, Woodbridge, CT 06525). You can read more about the designers below! JJ Pipitone – Percussion Arranger JJ Pipitone received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Morehead State University and his Master’s Degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas. He is currently an adjunct percussion professor at Texas A&M University - Commerce. Before this, he served in the public schools for 16 years as an assistant band director in the Lewisville and Grapevine Independent School Districts in the Dallas Ft. Worth area. In addition to all of the percussion responsibilities from 6th-12th grade, his duties have included Concert Band, Music Theory, Music History, Jazz band, and Musical Theater. JJ has extensive drum corps experience, having marched for 9 years in drum corps all over the country including numerous drum corps in the up-state New York area, the Dutch Boy, the Phantom Regiment, and the Concord Blue Devils. He won the DCI Multi tenor competition in 1989, The PAS Multi Tenor competition in 1990 and placed 2nd at the PAS marimba competition in 1992. As an instructor, JJ taught the World Champion Phantom Regiment in 1995 and 1996. In 1997, JJ was the Caption Head and the Battery Arranger. He went on to teach the Glassmen in 1998 and 1999 and the Crossmen in 2000 & 2001. He also served as Caption Head and Percussion Arranger for the Rochester Crusaders and the Empire Statesmen. JJ’s extensive judging experience has taken him around the globe since 2003. He is honored to be affiliated with Bands of America, Winter Guard International, and Drum Corps International. Lennie Machado – Color Guard Designer Lennie Machado is originally from the Boston area and has been involved in the Color Guard activity for over 20 years. He currently runs L-Mac Designs, a custom design company dedicated to the pageantry arts based out of Everett, MA. In 2014, he was inducted into the Massachusetts Drum Corps and Music Educators Hall of Fame for his outstanding contributions to the activity. Lennie has served as Caption Head and Designer for the Spartans Drum and Bugle Corps, Sacred Heart Winter Guard, St. Brendan’s Winter Guard and countless other groups through New England and the US. Lennie will bring his demonstrated and award winning skills to the Hurricanes Design Team this year to help bring the color guard and drum corps as a whole to the next level. Rick Morey – Visual Designer Rick, who lives in Utica, NY with his wife Barbara, has worked in the pageantry activity for several decades as a designer with various winter guards, marching bands and drum and bugle corps and as an adjudicator. Rick established the New Hartford Winter Guard and served as a designer and instructor for them for almost 30 years. He continues to be very active as a visual designer for championship marching bands in New York, New Jersey and New Mexico, as well as for the Rutgers University Marching Scarlet Knights. He also had the privilege to design the 2014 Super Bowl Pre-Game featuring the combined Syracuse University and Rutgers University bands. He has had a longtime involvement in both DCI and DCA as a designer, program coordinator and consultant. His DCI affiliations have included Pioneer, Magic of Orlando and the Colts. In DCA, Rick has designed for the Steel City Ambassadors, 5-time DCA Champion Syracuse Brigadiers, Empire Statesmen and Windsor Regiment. Rick is also honored to have been inducted into the Mid-York Color Guard Circuit Hall of Fame, the New York State Field Band Conference Hall of Fame and the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame, where he serves as Chair of the Visual Screening Committee. As an adjudicator, Rick has judged for DCI, DCA, WGI, US Bands and BOA, as well as numerous marching band contests across the country. A past President of the New York Federation of Contest Judges, Rick has also served as a clinician in the United States, Canada and Great Britain. A retired high school counselor who was named New York State Counselor of the Year in 1996, Rick now works in the pageantry activity on a full time basis. Matt Krempasky – Brass Arranger Matthew F. Krempasky’s writing career began with the Reading Buccaneers in 1983, and has since expanded to drum and bugle corps, college and university bands, and high school ensembles from around the world. He wrote for the Bucs from 1983-1987, the Caballeros from 1988-1991, the Spirit of Atlanta from 1997-1999, and, most notably, for the Crossmen drum and bugle corps from 1986-1994, helping to return the Crossmen to DCI finalist status as well as helping them to their highest place finish in the history of the corps (6th place, 1992). He is has been elected to three different Drum & Bugle Corps Halls of Fame - the Reading Buccaneers (2006), the Pennsylvania Drum and Bugle Corps (2011), and the Crossmen (2012). Mr. Krempasky holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, PA and is currently the band director at Somerville (NJ) High School. He is a frequent performer and recording artist in the tri-state area on both trumpet and trombone. He has also studied computing and education at Columbia University’s Teachers College. In 1998, he was selected as the New Jersey Master Music Teacher by the New Jersey Music Educators Association. Since 1990, he has been a proud member of Mensa, the international IQ society.
  6. Good evening Drum Corps Planet! The Sunrisers are gearing up for the 2016 season and are pleased to announce our design and visual teams to you! Sunrisers 2016 Design Team Bobby Jones Continues with the Long Island Sunrisers as Visual Designer and Co-Program Coordinator. Bobby is a freelance Visual Designer and Program Consultant for many high school and collegiate marching bands, winter guards, indoor percussion ensembles and drum and bugle corps throughout the country. He has been the Visual Designer, Caption Head and as the Program Coordinator for the DCA World Champion Reading Buccaneers Drum & Bugle Corps (Reading, PA as well as the Visual Designer and Caption Head for the 2006 Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps (Allentown, PA) and the 2007 Hawthorne Caballeros (Hawthorne, NJ). For the past four years he has been the Visual Designer for the DCI World Class Jersey Surf Drum & Bugle Corps (Mount Holly, NJ). As well as designing, Bobby also serves as a freelance adjudicator and judge for several indoor and outdoor circuits across the country throughout the year. Bobby lives in New York with his wife, Amy and his dachshund puppy, Myron. Eugene O’Brien continues with the Sunrisers as co- Program Coordinator. Gene has taught numerous award winning drum and bugle corps including the Spartans of Nashua NH, the Boston Crusaders, Connecticut Hurricanes, Rochester Crusaders, Syracuse Brigadiers, Carolina Gold, and Fusion Corps from Morristown New Jersey. Mr. O’Brien has worked on the Drum Corps International (DCI) Event Staff since 2004. He was inducted into the Massachusetts Drum Corps/ Music Educators Hall of Fame in 2012. Gene was marching member of the Rhode Island Matadors, Fitchburg Kingsmen, Boston Crusader Senior Corps, and Connecticut Hurricanes. Gene attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and received his BS Degree in Environmental Design/Transportation Planning and minored in Music Education in 1987. He performed in the Marching Band, Symphonic Band, University Chorale, and Choral Union. He studied marching band technique with George Parks and Thomas Hannum, Instrumental conducting with Ronald Steele, Choral Conducting from Dr. Richard DuBois. Mr. O’Brien then attended the University of Massachusetts at Lowell to further study Music Education with Dr. Rosita Sands and performed with the University Concert Band under the Baton of Dan Lutz. Performances include two Presidential Inaugurations, Statue of Liberty Dedication, Macy’s Parade, and a Montreal Canada performance. Gene has consulted numerous award winning marching bands along the East Coast. He has brought a vision to the Everett Public Schools in building one of the finest music programs in the state of Massachusetts. Gene firmly believes in a team approach to music education with superb teachers that will inspire young students to achieve to their highest potential. Mr. O’Brien resides in Waltham Massachusetts with his wife Carol. The Sunrisers are pleased to announce that J.D. Shaw has agreed to continue as our brass arranger/composer for the corps. Drum corps membership first began for Shaw at the Sky Ryders and later, he aged out at Phantom Regiment. He joined the Regiment’s brass staff in 1993 and in 2002 began his tenure as a brass arranger/composer for the corps, through the 2011 season. In 2012, he moved to his current position of brass arranger/composer for the Santa Clara Vanguard. He has written for several other DCI corps, including the Boston Crusaders and The Academy. J.D. Shaw is Associate Professor of Horn at University of South Carolina and was formerly the French hornist with the internationally acclaimed Boston Brass where he was creative director, music arranger and co-owner of the ensemble. J.D. is an active solo artist and travels extensively throughout the United States as well as many countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. In addition, J.D. has also been a featured performer on National Public Radio’s Performance Today and the CBS Morning Show. Kevin Murphy continues the Sunrisers as Percussion Arranger. Kevin is an active percussion arranger and instructor for high school, college and drum and bugle corps across the United States. As a marching member, he has had an exciting and diverse drum corps career culminating as a section leader with the DCI World Champion Concord Blue Devils. Additionally, Kevin studied music education at Lebanon Valley College as an undergraduate. As an arranger and instructor, Kevin’s creative writing style is the result of studying under well- known percussionists such as Tom Float, Paul Rennick, Tom Aungst, Dan Delong and John Oddo. Kevin has enjoyed success in the DCA arena with three consecutive high drum trophies as well as many writing, arranging, and designing credits with groups such as the Connecticut Hurricanes, Empire Statesmen, Hawthorne Caballeros and the Reading Buccaneers. In the DCI arena, he has written for, instructed, and consulted groups including the Capital Regiment, Blue Coats and Orlando Magic. The Sunrisers are pleased to welcome Jason Nealy to the Corps as our new Color Guard Designer/Caption Head . Jason is originally from Stratford, CT and is currently residing in Lowell, MA. He has been involved with the color guard world for 18 years, having started his color guard career with Bunnell High School in 1996. This year marks his second year working with the Les Eclipses Independent Open colorguard. He is also working with Blessed Sacrament World and Open Class Winterguards. His marching career includes two world championships, one with Fantasia Winterguard from Riverside, CA in 2006 and the other with the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps from Rosemont, IL in 2002. Jason has DCA experience as a member of the Bushwackers (2000-2001), the Caballeros (1999, 2014), and the Hurricanes (1998). As we welcome Jason, we would like to thank Nick Ashley for his dedicated service to the Sunrisers as caption head. We wish him all the best. Tom Lizotte continues as program and performance consultant for the 2016 season. Tom has had a long and varied career in the marching arts, serving at various times as design team member, brass caption head, brass technician and consultant for Boston Crusaders, Glassmen, Colts, 27th Lancers, Cadets, North Star, Syracuse Brigadiers, Connecticut Hurricanes and Rochester Crusaders. He is director of bands at Cape Elizabeth High School in Cape Elizabeth, ME., where he directs a program of two concert bands, three jazz ensembles and five jazz combos. He is an adjudicator for marching band and jazz and has appeared as an all-state and district conductor for festival groups in Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire. Tom is a member of the Maine Music Educators Association Hall of Fame as well as the halls of fame of the Massachusetts Drum Corps and Music Educators and Boston Crusaders. The Sunrisers welcome back to the team, Frank Mauriello. Frank continues his position as Staff Coordinator and is a member of the design team. Frank Mauriello received his B.M. in Music Education at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University and has performed in many ensembles such as, the C.W. Post Percussion Ensemble, the C.W. Post Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band, and the C.W. Post Orchestra. Frank’s achievements include the Coordinator of Music Scholarship Award. Frank was the assistant director and the front ensemble arranger for “Rage”, L.I.’s first Independent Indoor Marching Percussion Ensemble. In addition, he has arranged and instructed several competitive marching bands, such as Garden City High School, Roslyn High School, Eastport-South Manor High School, Seaford High School, Division Avenue High School, and the 2009 New York State Champions – Mineola High School. Frank is the director of the Mineola High School Mustang Marching Band whose achievements have been noted throughout New York State, including performances at the Syracuse Carrier Dome in the NYSFBC Circuit and the Newsday Marching Band Festival. The Mineola Mustangs performed at Rose Hall in Lincoln Center (Jazz at Lincoln Center) for a special event presented by Turner Broadcasting (TBS) for over 500 television executives, honoring the 20th Anniversary of the Cartoon Network. Frank’s great aspiration is to combine his range of experience with his ability to be a kind hearted, enthusiastic and intelligent teacher, who will make a positive contribution both musically and educationally. Frank’s dedication to the advancement of the Sunrisers should be noted. He has had a steady hand in the development of this corps. 2016 Visual Team Announcement The Sunrisers are pleased to announce our 2016 Visual Team. Mike Durborow joins the Sunrisers this year as our Visual Caption Head. Mike started his marching career with the Hawthorne Muchachos (1967-1977) and held the position of Drum Major in 1977. Mike was a visual instructor for the Garfield Cadets (1979-1980). Mike then marched with the Hawthorne Caballeros as their Drum Major (1983-1984). He was a Visual Instructor (1985-1993), Visual Caption Head (1994-2005) He was also Staff Coordinator and design team member (2002-2004). Mike’s recent years had him with Fusion Core as Visual Caption Head and design team member (2011-2015). Mike has written and taught many high school bands since 1975. A few are Westfield, Bernardsville, Hawthorne, Jackson Memorial, and Southern Regional to name a few. The Sunrisers Organization welcomes Mike on board! Joseph White, Visual Instructor,Studied Music Comp and Film at Brooklyn College and earned a degree in Media Communications from New York Institute of Technology. Joe has written music for a few films and commercials. Now doing sound mixing for movies and T.V. shows including Friends with Benefits, The Bounty Hunter, and Men in Black 3 as well as TV shows including Pan Am, The Big C and Girls. In addition to being an Emmy Nominee (Sound) for his work on Sex And The City, he is now a voting member of the Television Academy for the Emmy awards. Joe played French Horn for many years, when marching drum corps he played mellophone. He continued on to perform in the pit playing Timpani and Marimba as well. He has Marched with Bayonne Bridgemen, NY Skyliners, Crossmen, Sunrisers and Bushwackers Joe aged out of the Velvet Knights of Anaheim, CA in 1992 which was one of his favorite seasons on the field. Joe returned to Velvet Knights the following year as Visual Instructor which began his teaching career. Joes background includes Drill Designer and Visual Instructor for many drum corps, marching bands, winter guards and drum lines including Fusion Core, NY Skyliners, Bushwackers, and the Sunrisers. He also worked with Brentwood HS Marching Band (NY), Monroe HS (NJ), Hicksville HS (NY), St. Frances Prepatory (Queens NY), Winsor Central HS (NY) and Malverne HS (NY) and Consulted with many other groups. Joe has also performed and instructed Pegasus Winter Guard as well as Saturday Matinee and Consulted with Light Brigade color guard. Welcome to the 2016 Sunrisers, Joe! Joe Taylor joins the Sunrisers as visual consultant/instructor. Joe has been involved with the marching arts either as a trumpet / mellophone player or instructing since 1979. During this time he has spent many years working in both the DCI and DCA arenas. He has had the opportunity to work with some great designers and instructors including: Rick Morey, Chris Calhoun, Jim Allen, Jim Steele, Jamie Thompson, Rich Templin and Wayne Downey. No matter what group Joe was working with Brigadiers, Empire Statesmen, Fusion or Spirit of Atlanta, his passion for the activity and his strive for perfection is infectious. Joe has been working with Victor High School’s Marching Band and Winter Percussion group for the past 11 years and has enjoyed championship seasons in NY State and recent success in the WGI, US Bands and BOA arenas. Joe is a graduate of Nazareth College in Rochester, NY where he lives with his wife Josette and 9yr old daughter Juliana. He is employed as a Sr. Corporate Trainer and travels throughout the US and South America on the development and presentation of training material for such companies as Mercedes Benz, VW, State Farm Insurance and Microsoft. Welcome to the Sunrisers, Joe! Molly Tittler joins us as a visual instructor. Molly has been involved in the marching arts for the last 17 years. After graduating from Garden City High School as a 5 year member of the marching band, she went on to march with the Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps (’03), Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps (’04 – ’05), and the Silver Medalist Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps (’06) where she played lead mellophone. She also served as a mellophone soloist for the University of Connecticut Marching Band in 2004. More recently, Ms. Tittler performed with the Fusion Drum and Bugle corps for two seasons. has taught high school marching band across Long Island and Westchester in places including Garden City, Port Chester, Levittown, Hicksville, Franklin Square, Farmingdale, and Sachem. She has also consulted for the Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps and the Sunrisers Drum and Bugle Corps. Molly was a high school band director at Hicksville High School from 2007 – 2012. At Hicksville, she ran the award winning high school Marching Band and Winterguard programs (USSBA NYS Champions 2007 – 2011, USSBA Northern States Champions 2007) as well as taught the Level V NYSSMA Majors Gold Rated Symphonic Band. Molly is currently a band director at East Meadow High School where she conducts the ninth grade band and concert band, teaches brass sectionals, directs the colorguard, and runs the extracurricular brass ensemble, Winterguard, Tri-M Music Honor Society, and Pit orchestra. She is a graduate of Hofstra University. Molly received her Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education with a concentration in horn performance, graduating with honors. Ms. Tittler also holds a Master of Arts degree in Wind Conducting. During her graduate studies at Hofstra, she served as the Graduate Conducting Associate to Dr. Peter Loel Boonshaft from 2010-2012, for which she conducted both the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band. Molly maintains a private brass studio; many of her students have received county and state honors. She is an active member of the Nassau Music Educators Association where she has served as an All County chairperson several times, and currently serves as the Corresponding Secretary on the executive board. She is also a member of the New York State School Music Association, for which she is a certified brass adjudicator. We look forward to having Molly on board! Bill Woodruff is excited to be returning to the Sunrisers as a visual instructor. Bill marched at Sacred Heart University as a Tuba Player (1998-2002) and 3 years with the Bushwackers (2005-2007) before joining the Sunrisers visual staff as a tech in 2009. Since then he has marched with the Bridgemen Alumni (2010) and for the last 2 years worked with Fusion Core (2014-2015) as a member of their visual Team. Welcome back to the Sunrisers, Bill ! Krissy McMullen joins the Sunrisers as a visual instructor. Krissy marched with the Reading Buccaneers as a french horn player (1983-1986). She returned to the Buccaneers again (2007-2012) as a member marching Mellophone. Krissy’s teaching includes groups such as Lower Dauphin High School, Lancaster Catholic High School, and Fusion Core as a mid season visual tech. Krissy has been a field visual judge for six years with Cavalcade of Bands. Welcome to the team, Krissy! Paul Williams returns to the Sunrisers as a visual instructor. Paul started his drum corps career as a baritone in the Enfield Centurions (1965-1974). After aging out, he marched with the Sunrisers (1974-1979). Paul worked with the Woonsocket, RI winter guard (1980-1982). Paul then took time to raise his family before returning to the Sunrisers as a visual instructor (2013-2015). We welcome Paul back to the staff for 2016!
  7. Is anyone selling a digitally printed floor? All designs considered. Preferably in Southern, CA.
  8. Is anyone selling a digitally printed floor? All designs considered. Preferably in Southern, CA.
  9. We have a handful of corps that have the talent to win gold, which is outstanding. The sheer number of great ideas this year is more than I've ever seen in DCI, and I've been watching (or marching) since the mid-80s. What pains me most is when show designs hobble great talent, that demoralize almost as much as inspire. What I love to see most is a show design that empowers MMs to achieve their highest potential as performers, as people, and as artists, making the show itself into a work of art that transcends the idiom of drum corps. Usually, it's the show concepts that either click, or fail. A great concept will most always lead to a string of inspired, aesthetically-unified, and effective (GE) decisions in all captions. A poor concept will fail to a greater or lesser degree in all regards, including demoralizing MMs who have to live with it, act like they love it, but hate it secretly until afterwards, when they just end up regretting the decision they made to trust the design team and join the corps. That's the worst of all possible outcomes. Solution to poor design = Open Innovation Here's how to do it (though versions of this have been tried in the past, I'm well aware): 1. The design team must let go a bit and open up, instead of being like Charleton Heston ("...FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS!!!!"). Egos must be shelved. It's OK, we have to tell the corps directors and design teams. You'll still get your salaries because you're paid to CO-innovate and collaborate, to execute the designs, and hardest of all: to teach a group of young people how to create art. People out there, including potential members who will actually perform the show, have great ideas. Closed innovation doesn't work anymore in business, and it doesn't work well in DCI, at least for several corps, and even sometimes for the very best organizations. (Object lesson: 12.25, 10, Yowza, etc.) 2. They solicit show ideas from fans and alumni, but do so in an organized way, requesting concept, music, arrangement, visual, uniform, flag, prop, etc., ideas that communicate that theme. A standard format and strict requirements for submitting show design proposals must be communicated, just like any professional proposal. I'm talking actual RFPs (requests for proposals). And they could even require that the ideas if rejected cannot be used by other DCI organizations, which would keep the IP (intellectual property) within the community, as it were. Even better: they could request (or even require) individuals and/or teams of future MMs submit proposals. Could be a component of their auditions. 3. They allow the community to view the ideas, comment, and vote. 4. They give the community 50% of the votes, and their team 50%, and the best idea wins. Maybe the second or fourth best ideas will win the following year(s). How could you go wrong with the above? The days of the dictatorial corps director mucking things up are numbered. Just like the days of white guys in cigar-filled rooms deciding which candidate from which prominent political family will represent their party for governor or president. (Oh wait.....) Closed innovation, top-down, dictatorial decisions are so 20th century. So pre-social media. So Greatest Generation. Charleton Heston died angry, red-faced, half-crazy, but reports say that he was holding his wrinkled shrunken antique piece. Don't let this happen to you, top-5 corps. Let go. This is the Millennial Generation marching. They want co-ownership in their organizations. They want to lend a hand, to be empowered, to express their voice, and invest everything they have in its success, from concept to execution, from paper to the Gold medal around their neck at Finals. Trust the alumni, fans, and most of all: future MMs, not just yourselves. Open Innovation will avoid show designs that are inept from the get-go. Open Innovation will yield gold.
  10. What are some ideas you have of music that has not been used in a drum corps setting? Who could pull them off? I personally want to see somebody tackle modern post-rock music, such as Swans or Godspeed You Black Emperor. Not the most popular choice, but I do believe somebody like the Bluecoats could integrate it well.
  11. The purpose of this post is for us to discuss all the interesting and fun program points of last year's shows, 2014. I want to start a discussion where we can share what we thought was cool, congradulating the creative design and the performers. Comments should be focused on how a show's element (music, drill, guard movement, costumes, props, sound effects, music choice) helps tell the story of that corps' show. Please start your post or comment with what corps / show you'd like to discuss. And please keep it positive. I'll start the conversation with this: CAROLINA CROWN - OUT OF THIS WORLD I loved how the the "countdown" in the opener lined up with the rifle tosses. Perfectly matched with David Bowie's "Space Oddesy" get us ready to blast into outer space. And good use of amplified voices, singing the words, "Ground control to Major Tom" with mission control talk all around. And then, way later in the show, they break out into Peter Schilling's "Major Tom" as a fanfare after the drum break following the all trumpet / mello feature. Brilliant! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1Hs2AQwDgA
  12. Generally speaking, what are the basic ins and outs of running an open class corps? I've heard that the biggest expenses are gasoline, housing, and food, but I have no clue what the rough dollar amounts for those tend to be among OC corps. And then buses and instruments are capital expenses (up front) that you can maintain for years - correct me if I'm wrong. I'd just like some clarification and discussion. EDIT: this is not me trying to start a corps. This is solely for the purpose of wanting to know for my own interest.
  13. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's noticed this trend, but I was watching the "Best DCI Moments of 2012" recently, and I was struck by the surprising lack of cohesion in many of the brass arrangements. It's almost as if a lot of the shows are just "hit - transition - hit - transition - hit - transition - hit" in structure. I'm not saying that they don't contain complete musical ideas, but the arrangers are being fairly unoriginal and cliche'd. I also think that they're not being patient with the music, allowing it room to breathe and stretch its limbs. I'm primarily a brass person, so I can't really comment on pit and battery arrangements, but I have a fair amount of experience with music arranging and transcription; what I've seen of good arrangements has taught me that there are many intermediate shades between loud/bombastic and quiet/subtle. Yet these arrangers just can't grasp that. And what's really puzzling is that many of these arrangers have proven themselves to be skilled in those respects - adding variety to music and using orchestrational techniques to bring interest and meaning to the music. For example, Michael Klesch, currently with Crown and a few others, arranged brilliantly for Garfield in 1985 and 1987 ('85 is my favourite arrangement for drum corps ever), preserving the source music's spirit and vitality while compressing them into 13 and 11 minutes respectively. Scott Boerma, still with Scouts after all these years, really brought out the aggression of Madison's hornline, while still making it musical and keeping the integrity of the sources. Is it that they and the many other arrangers working today just don't care? Or is it that they must bow to the will of the visual team and stretch and shape their music to rigidly fit the drill and guard? If any of you can shed some light on this phenomenon, I'd appreciate it.
  14. Shows available for all ability levels! Most of these shows are: *original compositions, not arrangements *available immediately *written with accessible parts for front ensemble and battery *site exclusive to guarantee that you're the only ensemble playing your show at your contests Visit http://www.gpgmusic.com/percussion.php to check out our complete list of shows today!
  15. Los Angeles area DCI corps is in search of qualified brass caption head/instructor. If interested contacted us at: CitySound@City-Sound.org (323)228-7231 www.City-Sound.org https://www.facebook.../CitySoundCorps
  16. Los Angeles area DCI corps is in search of qualified brass caption head/instructor. If interested contacted us at: CitySound@City-Sound.org (323)228-7231 www.City-Sound.org https://www.facebook.../CitySoundCorps
  17. Los Angeles area DCI corps is in search of qualified brass caption head/instructor. If interested contacted us at: CitySound@City-Sound.org (323)228-7231 www.City-Sound.org https://www.facebook.com/CitySoundCorps
  18. Lots of agreement early on that this range would be an exciting one to watch as we go into finals. These placement seem to have become consistent since just before San Antonio. So, current placement a lock? percent chance of moving up? percent chance of moving down? Of course if someone moves up, someone has to move down or tie (God forbid). My thoughts: Crossmen: 12th place A LOCK show and performance places them there solidly Troopers: 13th place A LOCK not enough in the show construction to get them higher, too good to move down Colts: 14th place A LOCK this could have been 12th with more talent and cleaner music book sooner voice over not quite right, don't think they are willing to budge much there Spirit: 15th place 40% LOCK 60% Chance to move down show is poorly designed, but they have more talent than some below them and have the finalist experience The Academy: 16th place 50% LOCK 50% Chance to move up better show than SOA all around, some sections as talented, really need to clean OC: 17th place 50% LOCK 50% Chance to move up better show than Academy or SOA, lots to clean yet Pacific Crest: 50% LOCK 50% Chance to move up tidiest show in 15-18 range, gotta turn up the communication and lower individual mistakes
  19. The Crusaders posted on Facebook some sneak peeks of their uniforms. The full color picture can been seen in an advertisement in the March Edition of Halftime Magazine but you need a subscription. http://halftimemag.com/articles/subscribe.html I don't know what do expect from them. It looks really similar to the regular red underneath last years gray uniforms.
  20. City Sound Drum & Bugle Corps would like to invite you to our 2014 Color Guard Workshop SUNDAY MARCH 23, 2014 9 AM to 5 PM Our rehearsals will be at: CSU DOMINGUEZ HILLS (meet for registration in Parking Lot 4A) 1000 E Victoria St Carson, CA 90747 City Sound will be competing in the DCI Open Class Division and will be appearing at the following shows: June 27 - Oceanside, CA June 28 - Glendora, CA June 29 - Riverside, CA July 5 - Sacramento, CA July 6 - Pleasant Hill, CA July 12 - Laguna Hills, CA July 13 - Bellflower, CA (More performances to be added) If you want to grow as a color guard performer and have fun join us for what looks to be a very fun summer! Invite your friends! For more information contact: Bobby Vega vegabobby@yahoo.com www.City-Sound.org
  21. City Sound Color Guard Workshop Sunday March 23, 2014 9 AM to 5 PM CSU DOMINGUEZ HILLS (meet for registration in Parking Lot 4A) 1000 E Victoria St Carson, CA 90747 For more information email CitySound@City-Sound.org Hope to see you there! www.City-Sound.org (Send this flyer to all your friends!)
  22. Looking for experienced Los Angeles area color guard instructor. If interested send email to CitySound@City-Sound.org for more information. Position filled. Thanks everyone for checking out our ad
  23. Looking for experienced Los Angeles area color guard instructor. If interested send email to CitySound@City-Sound.org for more information.
  24. Is Crown going to use the same uniforms from last year this season? Or are they going back to the regular white-ish ones that they'be used typically? I don't see how the uniforms from last year would look good with a show un-like e=mc2. But that's just my opinion.
×
×
  • Create New...